HELP im a complete beginer

[trumbullbike]

Ok i have always had a ok digital camera, for mountain biking and action shots

I need a plain and simple answer

I need a camera for mainly action photography like mountain biking and snow skiing, i want a camera with little lag from when i push the button to when it takes the picture. Which is better kodak dx6490 or a nikon coolpix 5200. Or am i looking at the wrong camera's? Any help would be great. Thanks

[Photo-John]

trumbull buddy!
After seeing some of your photos on the mtbr freeride forum, I know why you're looking for a new camera. But I'm not so sure the camera is your main problem. Just changing the way you take pictures would make a bigger difference than a new camera. In fact, if you buy a new camera and continue taking pictures the same way, they aren't going to change much. Even the best cameras don't take great pictures. They only provide you with better tools. People take great pictures.

My first suggestion would be to start panning when you take pictures. Panning is when you follow your subject (the rider) with the camera and take the picture while the camera is moving. If you watch exeprienced photographers taking action photos, they'll almost always be panning. Panning will make it so that the moving rider is sharp and the background blurs. Prefocus on the spot where you want to shoot the rider, move the camera to where the rider starts pedaling, follow the rider in the camera's viewfinder, press the shutter release button a little bit before the spot you've prefocused on, and follow through to ensure a smooth pan. You prefocus by depressing the shutter release button halfway and holding it. With most compact cameras - film and digital - this locks the exposure and the focus. I don't care what camera you have, this will make a huge difference in the quality of your photos.

What camera do you have now? And why are you asking about those two Kodak and Nikon cameras? If you're main interest is sports, you should be looking at cameras with minimal "shutter-lag." Shutter-lag is the pause between the moment you press the button and when the photo is actually taken. It's one of the biggest problems with compact digital cameras. They all have it. You can minimize shutter-lag by prefocusing. But it's still something you're going to have learn to live with and work around. That's one reason why technique is so important.

I don't know what the shutter-lag is like on the two cameras you listed. But I expect it's not so great. There are compact digitals that are faster. Check out the Sonys and Casios. They have excellent image quality and generally have very quick response times.

Let me know if you have more questions. But try the panning technique with the camera you already have. Practice and post some photos here and on the DH/Freeride forum and see if you don't get a better response.